I’m a Board Advisor, Non-Executive Director and author of 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀.

I help organisations unlock value, recover performance and deliver lasting growth.

Many boards I work with are highly experienced in their domain.

I believe that’s also a risk.

Experience shapes our bias. 

I see boards naturally over-index on what feels “known”: 
𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

For example, technical boards default to technical solutions: 
𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 (𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦).

The real opportunity may be more creative:
𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘴, 
𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦, 
𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴.

My role is to help boards rebalance:

→ Discipline 𝘢𝘯𝘥 creativity
→ Governance 𝘢𝘯𝘥 growth
→ Managing risk 𝘢𝘯𝘥 backing bold moves

In practice, that means:

- Bringing an outside-in lens to challenge inside-out thinking
- Understanding if decisions are two-way or one-way doors
- Looking for asymmetric bets with fat-tailed upside

The simple way I frame it:

𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟭 - 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹
Cost Discipline, Risk Management, Governance
Essential. Protects value. 

𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟮 - 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
Op. Excellence, Capital Allocation, Technology (inc. AI)
Improves productivity and returns. 
Necessary, but still incremental.

𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟯 - 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Innovation, Growth Engines, Business Models
This is where trajectories change.

I help boards ensure L1 & 2 are solid,
then move deliberately and confidently into L3 -
with a strategy that is coherent across all three.

A primer on my experience:

- 15+ years across FTSE, private and family-owned businesses
- Investor readiness, sale preparation and due diligence
- Board-level strategy design across multiple industries
- Multi-year transformation leadership and governance
- Carve-outs and stand-ups of standalone businesses
- Business model and operating model innovation

If you’re navigating transformation, turnaround, or seeking bold growth, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, I’d welcome a conversation about how I can help your board drive value.

→ Message me here or reach out at Dan@DanMottram.com

Dan Mottram_

Helping 9-5 pros build their Corporate Offramp | Land 1st client in a 1-person business you control

You’ve outgrown your 9–5. 
Now what? 

You’ve built a solid career. Maybe even a great one. But lately… 

The Sunday scaries hit a little harder.
You keep wondering, “Is this really it?”

You don’t hate your job. You’ve just outgrown it. And the money is the only part that serves you. 

You’ve done everything right.
But you still feel boxed in by meetings, org charts, and the constant anxiety of “restructuring.”

You know your skills are worth more – but no one’s shown you how to turn them into something of your own.

You're not trying to blow up your life.
You just want to know it’s possible.

That’s what the ‘Corporate Offramp’ is for.

It’s my step-by-step system to help high-performing professionals:
→ Package their skills into a client-ready offer
→ Build a simple audience of people ready to work with them
→ Land their first client in 120 days—without quitting their job

You’ll start earning outside your 9–5 and finally take control of what’s next.

This isn’t about quitting tomorrow.
It’s about progress. Building something – before you need it. 
And when you’re ready to start having control over your time. 

What others are saying:

“What really stands out about Brian is his authenticity. And his responsiveness is in a league of its own. His mix of broad entrepreneurial knowledge, specific expertise in areas like LinkedIn strategy, and straight-talking advice puts him at the top of my list.” 
– Melissa, ex-ed tech exec

“I started building while still in my 9-5, and landed my first client within 3 months (..before being let go by my company!).”
– Cassie, former tech manager

Here’s how to get started:

📥 Grab the Free 5-Day Solo Business Blueprint in my Featured section – and get the exact roadmap to land your first client without quitting your job (or even changing your LinkedIn profile). 

🎯 Want a faster path?
Join me for the Fast Track to Freedom Workshop – where I’ll walk you through:

• What to focus on (hint: not your website)
• Where 90% of your effort should go
• How to build an audience (without posting daily)
• The path to your first paid client – in 120 days

🎟 Save your seat: simplemanguide.com/workshop

Your 9–5 got you started.
Your next move is on your terms.

taplio

The Battle

Dan Mottram_

Brian Gallagher

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